The winds of change have blown through the local sports marketplace in the last four months and we have the moving van bills to prove it. James Franklin is out and Derek Mason is in. Mike Munchak got fired and Ken Whisenhunt got hired. Barry Trotz cleaned out his office and the next tenant is to be determined. It doesn't stop there. Tennessee State's men's basketball program just found its new coach Saturday in Dana Ford. The Sounds have a new manager for their final season at Greer Stadium. With so much change in the wind, it's an appropriate time to look at the toughest coaching/managing jobs around here. For purposes of this list, we're keeping it local — the Nashville/Midstate area.

This has always been a tough job because of academic requirements that limit the recruiting pool, plus an eight-game SEC schedule every year. But Mason inherits a job that is far more difficult now because of a heightened expectation level created by Franklin, plus the financial commitment for an upgraded infrastructure like the indoor practice facility.

In short, it's not like the old days where Bobby Johnson went 12-52 in the SEC in his eight years at Vanderbilt but was never in danger of losing his job.

Ken Whisenhunt, football coach, Titans

He's been on the job a little more than three months, so Whisenhunt is still in the honeymoon phase with Titans fans. He should enjoy it while he can. Beginning with the draft and the first wave of minicamps next month, Whisenhunt will be under the gun to produce a winner.

The fans are getting restless since the Titans have not been to the playoffs since 2008 and have not won a postseason game since 2003. Whisenhunt is expected to deliver — or else.

Talk about a tough act to follow. Until this spot is filled, Trotz is the only coach in Predators history. Prior to missing the playoffs the last two seasons, Trotz coached the Preds to seven playoff berths in the previous eight seasons.

Because the team plays in a small market and the ownership group does not have deep pockets, Trotz's successor will deal with a roster that does not match the talent and depth of much of the NHL competition. Plus, the new coach will be compared to Trotz, whose involvement in the community made him very popular away from the ice.

After going to the NCAA Tournament five times in a six-year period, Vanderbilt has endured back-to-back losing seasons for the first time in almost three decades. The unease among many in the fan base reminds us that the expectation level for Commodores basketball remains high.

Stallings got a pass last season because of unexpected roster turnover and a rash of injuries, but it's time for Vanderbilt to return to form. Fortunately for Stallings, whose 15-year tenure is second-longest in the SEC, recruiting appears to be on an uptick and the Commodores should be improved this season.

Ricky Bowers, football and basketball coach, Ensworth School

Tough job? Really? If you've ever been to the Ensworth campus, you know the school has athletics facilities that rival some colleges. Money is no object.

True, but that only leads to great expectations. With four straight state championships in football and boys basketball, Bowers is a victim of his own success. Anything less than a championship trophy is considered a failure. Plus, never underestimate the difficulty of multitasking between two sports, even with the strong support system that Bowers has in place.

Rod Reed, football coach, Tennessee State

As the son of a TSU player from the '60s, Reed knows about the glory years of the program. Having played for the Tigers in the '80s, he understands the history and tradition of the Big Blue.

And if he ever forgets, the fan base is more than happy to remind him. Many fans wonder why TSU football cannot get back to the level of success it enjoyed under John Merritt, who went 174-35-7 from 1963-83 at the school. Those days are long gone, of course, but fans don't want to hear that.

Reed is the seventh football coach at TSU since Merritt's retirement and death. His six immediate predecessors averaged 4.3 years on the job. Reed is beginning his fifth season. His last two teams were a combined 18-7.

Casey Alexander, basketball coach, Lipscomb University

Lipscomb is 2.2 miles from its longtime rival's campus, but Belmont basketball still casts a long shadow that Alexander and his Bisons are attempting to escape. Although they no longer are in the same conference —Lipscomb is in the Atlantic Sun and Belmont in the Ohio Valley — Alexander is constantly reminded that the rival program has been to the NCAA Tournament six times in the last nine years while Lipscomb has never been.

Alexander's predecessor, Scott Sanderson, resigned in April 2013 after going 222-201 in 14 years at Lipscomb. Sanderson could never escape the shadow of Belmont coach Rick Byrd.

Rick Sweet, manager, Nashville Sounds

Although a Triple-A manager's most important job is developing talent for the major league affiliate (Milwaukee Brewers, in this case), Sweet's assignment is a bit different from most because the Sounds are in a transition phase. This is the final season at Greer Stadium, with a move across town to an under-construction facility planned for next year.

Sweet has been around the block. At age 61, this is his 24th season as a minor league manager. He has worked for seven different organizations.

Jim McGuire, baseball coach, Middle Tennessee State

Talk about following a legend. When he was elevated to the head coaching position in the summer of 2012, McGuire succeeded Steve Peterson, who won 791 games in 25 years and produced eight conference players of the year and 10 All-Americans in 25 years as Blue Raiders coach.

McGuire understands the responsibility. He was an assistant under Peterson for 20 years. And he's used to being around baseball coaching icons. McGuire played two seasons for Woody Hunt at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tenn.

Ron Aydelott, football coach, Riverdale High

At one time, Riverdale was among the most successful high school football programs in the state. The Warriors won four state championships in an 11-year period under Gary Rankin. But it's been a decade since the last of those titles.

Aydelott, who won a Class 4A state championship at Hillsboro High in 2003 and has been at Riverdale since 2006, coaches in one of the most competitive areas in the state. Fast-growing Rutherford County is packed with strong sports programs. The annual Battle Of The 'Boro between Riverdale and Oakland is a particularly intense rivalry.

David Climer's columns appear on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Reach him at 615-259-8020 and on Twitter @DavidClimer.